The I2UD is proud to announce the official launch of United Cities and Local Government’s Global Observatory on Democracy and Local Government’s third global report (GOLD III), which details the role of local authorities in service provision around the world. Mayors, local government officials, and civil society gathered in Rabat for the event, and to discuss some of the most pressing challenges municipalities face. With 2015 and the end of the Millennium Development Goals on the horizon, GOLD III documents the state of basic services such as clean water, sewerage, energy, and public transportation, and how local governments – as the authorities closest to citizens – can be empowered to fill service gaps. I2UD wrote the chapter on the Middle East and West Asia, which covers Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The full report will be published in 2014. Read the Executive Summaries here, Full Press Release here